Hamper bag for laundry appliances



P 1959 R.. H. WHYTE ETAL 2,904,897

HAMPER BAG FOR LAUNDRY APPLIANCES Filed March 15, '19s? 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS Richard T. Clement Rona! H. Whyfe @W&%

Their Afforney Sept. 22, 1959 YT ETAL 2,904,897

HAMPER BAG FOR LAUNDRY APPLIANCES BY RonaI H. Whyte Their Attorney Sept. 22, 1959 R. H. WHYTE ETAL HAMFER BAG FOR-LAUNDRY APPLIANCES Filed March 15, 1957 1 Fig. 4

Q ,38 3e r 2 4o o 34 42 is 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS Richard T. Clement Rona! H. Whyfe Their Atfor ey a United? States Patent HAlVIPER BAG FOR LAUNDRY APPLIANCES Rona] H. Whyte, Dayton, Ohio, and Richard T. Clement,

Royal 02k, Mich., assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application March 15, 1957, Serial No. 646,326

6 Claims. (CI. 34-90) This invention relates to a domestic appliance and more particularly to a laundry machine that is provided with a hamper bag for the reception of clothes being processed by the machine.

An object of the invention is to provide a laundry machine with a clothes hamper supporting frame that is pivotally supported by the front wall of the machine and wherein a suitable clothes hamper bag is secured to the frame for the reception of clothes either prior to or after processing the clothes in the machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a laundry machine with a clothes hamper bag supporting frame that carries a suitable hamper bag, the frame and bag being pivotally supported by the front wall of the machine and being movable to a vertical position where the bag and frame are stored between the door and front wall of the machine.

Still another object is to provide a laundry machine with a clothes hamper bag supporting frame that carries a suitable hamper bag, the frame and bag being pivotally supported by the front wall of the machine and wherein latch means are provided for holding the frame in a substantially vertically disposed position, the latch means releasing the frame in response to the closing of the door of the machine.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings: 7

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a laundry machine that is provided with the hamper bag of this invention;

Figure 2 is a modified hamper bag arrangement adapted for-use with the laundry machine shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front view of the laundry machine and hamper bag shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view of a modified latch ice wardly of wall 14. The walls 16 and 18 are joined by a horizontally extending wall 19. A flexible seal 20 made of rubber or any other suitable material is fixed to the wall 18 and is abutted by a door 22 when the door is in a closed position, the door being pivoted to cabinet 10. The wall 16 is provided with an outwardly bent portion 24 that has a loading opening 26 formed therein. The loading opening 26 is in alignment with the access opening 27 of a horizontally arranged tumbling drum 28 that is supported within the cabinet 10. The dryer is provided with conventional heating and air translating means as well as with conventional means for rotating the tumbling drum 28, all of which are not shown.

The clothes dryer of this invention is provided with a hamper bag 30 that is pivotally supported by wall member 16 of the dryer. The hamper bag is supported by a rectangular metal rod frame member 32, as shown in Fig. l. The hamper bag is arranged with suitable fasteners 34 that are snapped together for securing the bag to the frame. A pair of U-shaped rod members 36 are welded to frame 32 and are arranged so that one leg of the U-shaped member fits within bearings 38 that are integrally formed with brackets 40. The brackets 40 are bolted or otherwise secured to the vertically extending wall 16 of the dryer and are formed with integral ledge .portions 42 that support the frame 32 when the frame is in a horizontal position. With this arrangement the hamper bag frame 32 and hamper bag may be pivotally secured to the dryer by simply slipping the legs 35 of the U-shaped members 36 into the bearing members 38.

. .The frame will thus be pivotally supported with respect arrangement for holding the hamper bag frame of this invention in a vertical position; and

Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 5 but showing the latch arrangement in a released position.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. l, a laundry machine is shown provided with the clothes hamper bag arrangement of this invention. The laundry machine is illustrated as a clothes dryer although it is apparent that the hamper bag might be used with a clothes washer of the type having a horizontally arranged tumbling drum.

The clothes dryer as illustrated in Fig. 1 comprises a cabinet generally denoted by reference numeral 10 having a front wall generally denoted by reference numeral 12. The front wall 12 includes forwardmost portions 14 and a vertical wall disposed rearwardly of walls 14 and designated by reference numeral 16. The wall 16 is circumscribed by a vertically disposed door engaging wall partion 18 that is disposed forwardly of wall 16 but rearto the clothes dryer.

When it is not desired to use the hamper bag, the rod frame 32 may be pivoted to a substantially vertical position and held in this position by a spring clip 44 dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 4. The rod frame 32 and hamper bag may be left attached to the clothes washer during the clothes drying operation by leaving the rod frame in its vertical position. The wall 16 is sufficiently; spaced from the inner wall of door 22 so as to provide sufiicient space for the rod frame 32 and hamper bag.

when they are in their vertical position. The hamper bag is so gathered that none of the bag lies below wall 19 when the rod frame is moved to a vertical position. The

door 14 contacts the seal 20, which circumscribes the loading opening 26 so that the clothes dryer is sufliciently sealed even when the rod frame and hamper bag are in a vertical position between the door 22 and the vertical wall 16. When it is desired to use the hamper bag after a drying operation, the door is opened and the bag is moved to a substantially horizontally disposed position wherein the rod frame 32 is supported by ledge portions 42 of brackets 4t). With the above-described arrangement a very convenient arrangement for storing the hamper bag during the use of the dryer is shown and this arrangement provides for an easy method of unloading the clothes from the dryer after the drying cycle has been completed. It is noted that the open hamper bag is disposed immediately below the access opening 26 when in; a horizontal position whereby the clothes are easily 7 loaded into the hamper bag.

Figure 2 illustrates a modified hamper bag frame wherein the metal rod frame 46 is provided with opposite l With this arrangement,

ly extending rod portions 48. and when it is desired to attach therod frame 46 to the dryer, the rod frame is sprung so as to move rodv portions r; 48 toward one another and then is released to permit the rod portions 48 to slip into the bearing members 38. The rod frame 46 is provided with a hamper bag 50 that is similar to the hamper bag 30 shown in Fig. 1. The

-32. frame 46 of Fig 2- difiers from the frame 32 shown in Fig=- 1- in-that the frame lo-issprung'when attaching'the frameto the dryer, whereas in Fig. l the rod portions 36 are slipped into bearing members 38 by moving the frame 32 rearwardly in Fig; l when attaching the frame to" the dryer;

Figs. 5 and- 6 illustrate amodified latcharrangement for-holding the rod frame member ofa" hamper bag in a-substantially vertical position When-thebag-is not bemg used. In these figures the same reference numerals have been used to designate the same parts shown in- Figs; 1 3' and'4. The: arrangement forsupporting the rod frame in its hori'zontal position also'differs frorn'thatshownrinEigss 1, 3 and 4. Thearrangement of Figs. 5" and G-uses-the rod frame-46 illustrated in Fig; Zand enrploysbrackets 52" having bearing portions 54, the brackets being secured to vertioall'y'extendingwall i6: The frame is provide'd with. the-hamper bag of'Fig. 2 but for purposes ofclarity, is not shown in Figs. Sand 6. The oppositely' extending rod portions 43 are slipped into the bearingportions--54when fitting'the dryer with the hamper bagand frame. inthe'arrangement of Figs. 5 and 6 the bracket 52 is mounted so that the rodframe member 46 rests-n horizontally extending wall 19 when the frame is in a horizontal position, The wall 19 thus acts as' a supportfor'the rod frame when the frame is -in its horizontal' position.

The vertically extending wall 16 of the dryer is provided' with a' bracket 56'to which is pivoted a nylon-latch member 58. The latchmember has a recessed portion 60 that engages therod frame 46 when the frame is moved toa substantially vertical position. This is illustrated in- Fig. wherein-the latch member 58' is holdingv the rod frame 46 in a substantially vertical position. It should be noted, however, that the frame 46 is tilted somewhat rightwardly in Fig. 5 so that when the latch is released, the frame 46"will move by its own'weight against theinner face of thedoor 22. As the door 22moves to a closed position, the inner wall of the door engages latch member 58 to move it to the position shown in Fig. 6. The upward movement of latch member 58 disengages the latch member from the rod frame whereby the rod moves of its own weight against door 22. Whenthe door is opened, the rod-frame member 46 will then move down to its horizontal position wherein the frame rests on ledge 19. It is thus apparent that closing ofjthe doorin the embodiment ofFigs. 5 and 6 releases the latch member 58 from rod frame 46 in order that the rod frame may move to a horizontal position when the door is opened. With this arrangement and after loading the dryer with clothes, therod frame 46 may be movedto a vertical position and latched. The door 22 is then closed, which releases latch 58 and the rod frame rests against the door 22 during the drying cycle of the dryer. When the clothes are completely dry, the door 22 is opened and the rod frame 46 then moves to a horizontal position wherein clothes may be loaded into the hamper bag secured to the frame.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, as may come within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In combination, a laundry appliance including a cabinet, a horizontally arranged tumbling drum in said cabinet having a front access opening, an opening in the front Wall of said cabinet in alignment with said access opening, a collapsible hamper bag, a hamper bag supportingframe pivoted to the front wall of said cabinet and movable between substantially vertically and horizontally disposed positions, said hamper bag laying in a collapsed position adjacent said front access opening when said frame is in said vertical position, and means for supportingsaidframe Whensaid frame is in saidhorizontal posi' tion.

2. In combination, a laundry appliance including a cabinet, a horizontally arranged tumbling drum in said cabinet having a front access opening, an opening in the front Wall of said cabinet in. alignment with said access opening,.a.collapsible hamper bag adapted. for storage; in said cabinet, a hamper bag supporting frame pivoted to thefront; wallv of. said, cabinet immediately below said openings and movable between substantially horizontal and vertical positions, said hamper bag laying between said openings when said frame isin said'vertical position, and means for supporting said frame when said frame is in said horizontal position.

3. in combination, a laundry appliance including a cabinet, a horizontally arranged tumbling drum in said cabinet having azfrontraccess. opening, an openinginthe front wall ofsaid cabinet. in. alignment with-said access. opening, a hamper. bagsupporting frame pivoted to'said. front wall and movable from a vertical stored position to a horizontalposition for use, means for supporting said' frame when. saidlframe. is in. said horizontal position, anda adoor pivoted to said cabinet covering and uncovering. said openings, said hamper bag frame when-ina vertical. position ybeinglocated between said door. and said cabinet. front wall when said door isclosed.

4. The structure set forth. in claim 3 including latch means for. releasably holdingthehamper. bag frame in-a vertical position. when the frame ismoved to a vertical cabinet having a front access opening, an opening;in-.the-

frontzwall of said cabinet in alignment with; said. access opening, a hamper bag supporting frame pivoted tosaid:

front wall and movable between a vertically disposedi stored. position and a horizontally disposed. position; fort use, means for supporting; said frame When'said frame is in saidhorizontal position, a door pivotedto said cabinet covering and. uncovering said openings, said frame.- when in a vertical position beinglocatedbetweenwsaid door andsaid cabinet front wall when'said door issclosed, latch means; for releasably holding said frame: i112 said. vertical position, and means operating in response to: the: closing of said door. for releasing said latch means.

6. In combination, a laundry applianceiincludingxacahinet, ahorizontally arrangedtumbling drum in said:cab.- inet having a front access opening, an opening. in the front wall' of said cabinet inalignment with said: access opening, ahamper 'bagsupporting frame pivoted t01-saidi frontwall and movable; from a vertical; storediposition to a horizontal position for use, means for supporting said frame whenzsaid. frame is in.said' horizontal position, a door pivoted to said cabinet covering andiuncovering said openings, said hampenbag. frame when in a vertical positionibeingilocatedi between said door and said cabinetfront wall when said door isrclosed, a latchmember piv oted to. said' cabinet and having a portion engaging said frame for. holding; said frame in a vertical'position, and means'movable'with said door engaging said'latch member for pivoting. said latchmember out of engagement with saidframe when said door is'moved to aclosed position.

References Cited in;thefile' of this patent. UNITED STATES PATENTS- l ,13f6,1.38 Izett Apr. 20,, 19.15. 1,224,568 Ream .May 1,.,l9,.17 2,253,047 Purkett .Aug,.19.,,194l 

